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νστ΄. Simply, the purpose of the Savior's commandments, is that it might free the mind from intemperance and hatred, and lead it to the love of Him and of neighbor; from which is born the light of holy knowledge in action.

(1061) νζ΄. Having been deemed worthy by God of partial knowledge, do not neglect love and self-control. For these, by cleansing the passionate part of the soul, always prepare for you the way to knowledge.

νη΄. The way to knowledge is dispassion and humility, without which no one will see the Lord.

νθ΄. Since knowledge puffs up, but love builds up; join love to knowledge, and you will be without pride; and a spiritual builder, both building up yourself, and all who approach you.

ξ΄. For this reason love builds up, because it is not envious, nor is it embittered towards the envious; nor does it ostentatiously publicize that which is envied; nor does it consider itself to have already attained; and what it does not know, it shamelessly confesses its ignorance. Thus, then, it renders the mind free from pride, and always prepares it to advance in knowledge.

ξα΄. Conceit and envy somehow are naturally attendant upon knowledge, especially in the early stages. And conceit comes only from within; but envy, both from within and from without. From within, towards those who have knowledge; from without, from those who have it. Love, therefore, overthrows the three: conceit, because it is not puffed up. The envy from within, since it is not jealous; the envy from without, because it is long-suffering and kind. It is necessary, therefore, for one who has knowledge to also take on love, so that he may keep his mind invulnerable in everything.

ξβ΄. He who has been deemed worthy of the gift of knowledge, and has grief, or resentment toward a person, or hatred, is like one who pierces his (1064) eyes with thorns and thistles [Fr.τοῦ κατακεντοῦντος]. Therefore, knowledge necessarily needs love.

ξγ΄. Do not occupy all your leisure with the flesh, but assign to it ascetic practice according to your ability; and turn your whole mind to the things within; For bodily exercise is profitable for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, and so on.

ξδ΄. He who unceasingly occupies himself with the things within, is temperate, is long-suffering, is kind, is humble-minded. Not only this, but he also contemplates, and theologizes, and prays. And this is what the Apostle says: Walk in the Spirit, and so on.

ξε΄. He who does not know how to travel the spiritual way, takes no care of his passionate thoughts; but occupies all his leisure with the flesh, and either indulges his stomach and is licentious, and is grieved and becomes angry and bears grudges, and thereby darkens his mind; or he uses asceticism immoderately, and troubles his intellect.

ξστ΄. Scripture does not abolish any of the things given to us by God for our use; but it punishes lack of moderation, and corrects irrationality. For example, it does not forbid eating, or begetting children, or having money and managing it rightly; but it forbids gluttony, fornication, and so on. But neither does it forbid thinking of these things (for this is why they came to be), but thinking of them with passion.

ξζ΄. Some of the things done by you according to God are done by commandment; and others, by commandment, but, as one might say, as a voluntary offering. For example, by commandment are: to love God and neighbor; to love one's enemies; not to commit adultery nor to murder [unus Reg. φθονεῖν], and the rest; for which things, if we transgress them, we are condemned. But not by commandment are: virginity, celibacy, non-possession, the

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νστ΄. Ἅπαξ ὁ σκοπός τῶν ἐντολῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος, ἵνα ἀκρασίας καί μίσους τόν νοῦν ἐλευθερώσῃ, καί εἰς τήν αὐτοῦ ἀγάπην καί τοῦ πλησίον, ἀγάγῃ· ἐξ ὧν τίκτεται τό φέγγος τῆς κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν ἁγίας γνώσεως.

(1061) νζ΄. Μερικῆς γνώσεως παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ καταξιωθείς, μή ἀμέλει ἀγάπης καί ἐγκρατείας. Αὗται γάρ τό παθητικόν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκκαθαίρουσαι, τήν ἐπί τήν γνῶσιν ὁδόν ἀεί σοι εὐτρεπίζουσιν.

νη΄. Ὁδός ἐπί τήν γνῶσίν ἐστιν, ἀπάθεια καί ταπείνωσις, ὧν χωρίς οὐδείς ὄψεται τόν Κύριον.

νθ΄. Ἐπειδή ἡ γνῶσις φυσιοῖ, ἡ δέ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ· σύζευξον τῇ γνώσει τήν ἀγάπην, καί ἔσῃ ἄτυφος· καί πνευματικός οἰκοδόμος, καί σεαυτόν οἰκοδομῶν, καί πάντας τούς ἐγγίζοντάς σοι.

ξ΄. Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ ἀγάπη οἰκοδομεῖ, ἐπειδή οὐδέ φθονεῖ, οὐδέ πρός φθονοῦντας πικραίνεται· οὐδέ τό φθονούμενον δημοσεύει ἐπιδεικτικῶς· οὐδέ λογίζεται ἑαυτόν ἤδη κατειληφέναι· καί ὧν δέ οὐκ οἶδεν, ὁμολογεῖ ἀνερυθριάστως τήν ἄγνοιαν. Οὕτως οὖν τόν νοῦν ἄτυφον ἀπεργάζεται, καί προκόπτειν εἰς τήν γνῶσιν ἀεί παρασκευάζει.

ξα΄. Πέφυκέ πως παρέπεσθαι τῇ γνώσει ἡ οἴησις καί φθόνος ἐν προοιμίοις μάλιστα. Καί ἡ μέν οἴησις, ἔνθοθεν μόνον· ὁ δέ φθόνος, καί ἔνθοθεν καί ἔξωθεν. Καί ἔνδοθεν μέν, πρός τούς ἔχοντας γνῶσιν· ἔξωθεν δέ, ἀπό τῶν ἐχόντων. Ἡ οὖν ἀγάπη, τά τρία ἀνατρέπει· τήν μέν οἴησιν, ἐπειδή οὐ φυσιοῦται. Τόν δέ ἔνδοθεν φθόνον, ἐπεί οὐ ζηλοῖ· τόν δέ ἔξωθεν, ἐπειδή μακροθυμεῖ καί χρηστεύεται. Ἀνάγκη οὖν τόν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν, προσλαβέσθαι καί τήν ἀγάπην, ἵνα ἄτρωτον τόν νοῦν ἐν παντί διαφυλάττῃ.

ξβ΄. Ὁ τοῦ χαρίσματος τῆς γνώσεως καταξιωθείς, καί λύπην, ἤ μνησικακίαν πρός ἄνθρωπον ἔχων, ἤ μῖσος, ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ ἀκάνθαις καί τριβόλοις τούς (1064) ὀφθαλμούς κατακεντοῦντι [Fr.τοῦ κατακεντοῦντος]. ∆ιό ἀναγκαίως δέεται ἡ γνῶσις ἀγάπης.

ξγ΄. Μή ὅλην τήν σχολήν σου περί τήν σάρκα ἔχε, ἀλλά ὅρισόν αὐτῇ τήν κατά δύναμιν ἄσκησιν· καί ὅλον τόν νοῦν σου, περί τά ἔνδον τρέψον· Ἡ γάρ σωματική γυμνασία, πρός ὀλίγον ἐστίν ὠφέλιμος· ἡ δέ εὐσέβεια, πρός πάντα ἐστίν ὠφέλιμος καί τά ἑξῆς.

ξδ΄. Ὁ ἀδιαλείπτως περί τά ἔνδον τάς διατριβάς ποιούμενος, σωφρονεῖ, μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται, ταπεινοφρονεῖ. Οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί θεωρεῖ, καί θεολογεῖ, καί προσεύχεται. Καί τοῦτό ἐστιν ὅ λέγει ὁ Ἀπόστολος· Πνεύματι περιπατεῖτε, καί τά ἑξῆς.

ξε΄. Ὁ τήν πνευματικήν ὁδόν ὁδεύειν μή ἐπιστάμενος, τῶν ἐμπαθῶν νοημάτων οὐ ποιεῖται φροντίδα· ἀλλ᾿ ὅλην τήν σχολήν περί τήν σάρκα ἔχει, καί ἤ γαστριμαργεῖ καί ἀκολασταίνει, λυπεῖταί τε καί ὀργίζεται καί μνησικακεῖ, καί ἐντεῦθεν τόν νοῦν σκοτίζει· ἤ ἀμέτρως τῇ ἀσκήσει κέχρηται, θολεῖ τήν διάνοιαν.

ξστ΄. Οὐδέν τῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ εἰς χρῆσιν ἡμῖν δοθέντων ἀναιρεῖ ἡ Γραφή· ἀλλά τήν ἀμετρίαν κολάζει, καί τήν ἀλογιστίαν διορθοῦται. Οἷον, οὐ κωλύει ἐσθίειν, οὐδέ παιδοποιεῖν, οὐδέ χρήματα ἔχειν καί ὀρθῶς διοικεῖν· ἀλλά κωλύει γαστριμαργεῖν, πορνεύειν, καί τά ἑξῆς. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ τό νοεῖν ταῦτα κωλύει (διά τοῦτο γάρ γεγόνασιν), ἀλλά τό ἐμπαθῶς νοεῖν.

ξζ΄. Τά μέν τῶν ὑφ᾿ ὑμῶν κατά Θεόν πραττομένων, κατ᾿ ἐντολήν πράττεται· τά δέ, κατ᾿ ἐντολήν, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, καθ᾿ ἑκούσιον προσφοράν. Οἷον κατ᾿ ἐντολήν μέν, τό ἀγαπᾷν τόν Θεόν καί τόν πλησίον· τό ἀγαπᾷν τούς ἐχθρούς· τό μή μοιχεύειν μηδέ φονεύειν [unus Reg. φθονεῖν], καί τά λοιπά· ἅτινα καί παραβάντες, κατακρινόμεθα. Οὐ κατ᾿ ἐντολήν δέ, τό παρθενεύειν, ἡ ἀγαμία, ἡ ἀκτημοσύνη, ἡ